Building a Broken Soul
by MoonlightSpirit
Summary: Once Eli finally realizes how Imogen is manipulating him, he is left alone to pick up the broken pieces of his soul that Imogen has shattered even further. Now he must put himself back together...starting with Clare. Songfic to Skyscraper by Demi Lovato.


**So I recently watched a YouTube video about Eli using Demi Lovato's song 'Skyscraper'. I love the song, especially with certain hardships I've gone through, it's helped me deal with a lot. And it's the perfect song for Eli, especially with where he is in life now. So here's **_**Building a Broken Soul**_**. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or the song **_**Skyscraper**_**.**

A merciless downpour descended from the skies and anyone left on the streets scurried for shelter from the pouring rain.

Except for one.

Eli Goldsworthy sat alone on the steps of his porch, his face buried in his hands, his slim form trembling slightly as he took deep shaky breaths.

He looked up as he felt the cool rain on his face. It ran down his open palms, mixing with his own tears.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there. He had just had a huge fight with Imogen. It had been Adam who had finally talked some sense into him, making him see that Imogen was leading him down a dark path. With no meds and Imogen feeding lies into his head about Clare, Eli had been going in a downward spiral fast and Adam could no longer stand by and watch his best friend suffer.

_Skies are crying, I am watching, c__atching teardrops in my hands_

_Only silence as it's ending, like we never had a chance_

_Do you have to make me feel like there's nothing left of me?_

Eli wouldn't be able to get a new prescription until the next day though and he could feel himself coming unraveled. He tried the coping techniques his therapist had suggested, breathing slowly in and out, and it was helping a little.

Eli couldn't help but hate himself, hate _Imogen _for what she had done to him. She had taken him in, in his broken, vulnerable state, and twisted it to her liking, breaking him down even more.

She made him believe everything had been Clare's fault. All his hurt, his anger, his pain. She made him believe it was all because of Clare.

_You can take everything I have_

_You can break everything I am_

_Like I'm made of glass, like I'm made of paper_

And Eli believed her. He believed every word out of Imogen's mouth. That Clare had never loved him. That she had only used him. And that he would be the bigger man if he confronted Clare for her wrongs against him.

_Go on and try to tear me down_

_I will be rising from the ground_

_Like a skyscraper_

_Like a skyscraper_

Eli stood up and walked inside his house. His parents weren't home – they were at a concert or something – and the house was quiet in the loneliest way.

Eli leaned against the staircase, feeling weary. Dealing with Imogen had taken a toll on him. His was quite a task, untangling her lies from the truth.

"_**Did you get some sick pleasure out of watching me suffer?"**_

That's what he had shouted at her just minutes ago. Her response was a mumbled mess of "…trying to help," and "She was using you!"

The only one that had used him was Imogen, not Clare. Clare always wanted what was best for him. She wanted to help him. Clare had been the one to help him clean out his room, the one to hold him whenever he had a nervous breakdown about throwing something out. She never complained. She only ever helped.

Because that was Clare. She always put others before herself. That was one of the many reasons why Eli loved her so much. In a world were so many people were cruel and selfish and heartless, Clare was a bright, beaming light.

_As the smoke clears, I awaken_

_And untangle you from me_

_Would it make you feel better to watch me while I bleed?_

_All my windows still are broken, but I'm standing on my feet_

Eli slowly made his way up the stairs, still limping slightly. His leg may not have been broken anymore, but sometimes, it still hurt. A constant reminder of the mistake _he _had made. Not Clare. Clare wasn't the one that drove Morty into a wall. It was him.

_He…_Eli_..._was the reason he and Clare had broken up. It was his stupid fear that Clare was slipping away – that he would lose her like he lost Julia that led him to his stupid action.

_You can take everything I have_

_You can break everything I am_

_Like I'm made of glass, like I'm made of paper_

_Go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground_

_Like a skyscraper_

_Like a skyscraper_

As Eli stepped into his room, his eyes fell upon a picture on his desk. Of Julia.

It had been a picture he couldn't bare to part with. It had been Clare who had placed the picture on his desk herself and Eli knew that deep down, it must have pained hr to do it. But she did it anyway.

Julia was where this had all started. Her death had been the first of many cracks in Eli's mental state. The hoarding, the need for control, smothering Clare…Clare had been right all along. All of his problems traced back to Julia.

He still had nightmares of her riding away from him on her bike. And he's running, running after her but can never get close enough to reach her until she gets hit by the car and it's too late.

Exhausted both mentally and physically Eli crashed onto his bed and let sleep overtake him.

_**The dream started out the same as always. Eli ran after Julia as she pedaled away on her bike, but no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't get close enough to her. He knew what would happen.**_

_**So he stopped. He stopped running. He couldn't change the past. **_

_**Eli watched Julia disappear off into the darkness.**_

_Go, run, run, run_

_I'm gonna stay right here_

_Watch you disappear_

_**Eli turned around and started walking back toward his house. To his surprise, Clare was waiting for him, a smile on her face. But she wasn't the only one there. Next to her stood Julia.**_

_**When Eli got close enough, Julia grabbed his hand and Clare's. She bought their hands together until Eli's fingers laced with Clare's. Julia looked up at Eli and smiled…and then she disappeared.**_

Eli's eyes snapped open. His room was dark and someone had put the comforter over him.

His eyes landed on Julia's picture, staring at him from his desk. Eli stood up, wincing slightly at the pain in his leg. He limped over to the desk and picked up Julia's picture. He stared at it for a moment before going over to his closet. He opened the closet door and took down a box from the uppermost shelf, opening it

It was a box of Julia's stuff that Clare had helped him sort out. It held all of the most important things, mostly pictures, as necklace Eli had given Julia, a stuffed skull she had given him, and various other little gifts and knick-knacks.

Eli pressed his lips against her picture before placing it on top of the box and closing it, putting the box back on top of his closet.

And then he did something that, for once, he knew was crazy. It was still pouring rain outside and it was the middle of the night.

But Eli Goldsworthy left his house and ran. He ran through the pouring rain, rumbling thunder and bright lightning. He rain passed the startled pedestrians and odd glances. He ran, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his leg in protest of the extreme activity.

He kept running and running into the familiar house came into view. He bounded up the steps and rang the doorbell. He didn't care if her parents heard, he had to see her _now_.

_Go, run, run, run_

_Yeah, it's a long way down_

_But I am closer to the clouds up here_

Fate must have been with him that night because _she _opened the door. Clad in just a lacy, pink camisole and matching pink pajama bottoms, her curls unruly and rubbing her eyes sleepily, she looked up at him.

"Eli?" she mumbled, sleepily, "What are you doing here-?" She never quite got the whole question because that's when Eli kissed her. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her wit every fiber of his being, letting all of the feelings he had pent up for her for so long free in that once kiss.

Clare stiffened for a second, but kissed him back and it wasn't long before their lips were doing a dance they were oh-so-familiar with.

Because she still loved him too. It was the reason she and Jake had decided to end it, because Jake could see that she was still in love with Eli. And she knew that he was right, no mate how long or how much she had tried to deny it.

They kissed, ignoring the fact that Eli was soaking wet, that rain was wetting the floor near the front door or that Clare's mom could come downstairs and catch them at any minute. All that was that now…everything was right.

_You can take everything I have_

_You can break everything I am_

_Like I'm made of glass, like I'm made of paper_

_Oooooh_

_Go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground_

_Like a skyscraper!_

_Like a skyscraper!_

_(Like a skyscraper)_

_Like a skyscraper!_

_Like a skyscraper_

**So there's **_**Building a Broken Soul**_**. I hope you all liked it! Please Review! **


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